Hoof Covers Bruise
by Arwhale
Summary: When you take the blame, you'll take the pain. Scootaloo took the blame.
1. Cul-De-Sac

**This is an indirect sequel to my story, "Like Shattered Glass." While it is not necessary that you read it before reading this, I would highly encourage you to do so. Rated for scenes of abuse and mild language.**

Spike stood in front of the library door. With every deep breath his bulging belly rose and fell, staring up at him in mockery. He stared right back at it, brow creased with determination.

Today was the day. Today was the day he was going to start getting in shape.

A scaly hand reached out to open the door, but after hovering over the doorknob for several seconds, it fell right back to his side. He bit his lip.

_I should probably stretch a little more…_ he thought to himself. _Don't wanna start my workout before I'm ready._

He placed his feet together and reached down to touch his toes, but his belly acted as a wall to impede his progress. Nonetheless, he continued to push against the barrier, wiggling his fingers as they hovered only an inch away from his toes…

"Uhh… Spike?" A feminine voice piped up from behind. His concentration was broken instantly, and he twisted his head around to look over his shoulder.

Twilight stood at the base of the stairs, with two books surrounded in a purple aura hovering on either side of her head. She looked at her assistant with an amused smirk on her face. "Isn't that, like, the fourth time you've stretched since you came down here?"

Spike's cheeks turned red as he shot to his feet. "Uh, uhh, yeah. I mean, no. I mean… not the _fourth_ time…"

Twilight sighed. He was trying to beat around the bush, but she wasn't going to let him.

"Spike… are you going to run or aren't you?"

Her question nailed him right to the wall. Spike replied immediately, raising his voice as he went on the defensive.

"Yeah, yeah, of course! I'm just making sure that I'm… loosened up enough. Y'know, to make sure I don't pull something…"

Twilight chuckled. Her question obviously struck a nerve.

"Suuure, Spike. But if you ask me, it seemed more like you were about to pull something when you were stretching just a second ago. Your arms looked like they were about to come right out of their sockets," she laughed.

Her giggles caused Spike's cheeks to flush red with indignation. "No they weren't! I mean, didn't! I mean…"

"Spike, listen for just a second," Twilight interrupted him before he could dig himself into an even deeper hole. "You can't keep putting it off, okay? If you don't force yourself, you're never gonna do it."

As a usual reflex, the dragon opened his mouth to argue with her, but before the words could leave his mouth, they became trapped in his throat. His hands ran over his belly, feeling it more closely. Despite the thick layer of scales on his belly, there was no hiding the extensive layer of fat beneath which gave under his touch like a water balloon.

Twilight hovered the books over to a nearby shelf, sticking them into their previous slots. Spike clutched at his stomach from the other end of the room, lips pursed together in contemplation.

"Well? Are you gonna do it?" She asked. Spike's eyes darted between her, his stomach, and the front door in rapid succession multiple times. With the alicorn staring at him it was impossible to put it off any longer. It was now or never. At last, he gave in with a deep exhale.

"Alright, fine," he groaned, inching over to the door. "I'll go now. I'll stop putting it off. You win."

Twilight smirked. She muttered under her breath, "Yeah, I usually do…"

"What?"

"Oh, nothing," she smiled sweetly. "Have a good run! And remember, start out slow and keep your breathing nice and easy!"

Her advice was met with a laugh from Spike, who crossed his arms over his chest. "Yeah, okay, Twi. Since when did you suddenly become a running expert? You read that in one of your books?"

This time it was her turn to blush. "Maaaybe… but that doesn't make it less true!"

Spike blew a raspberry. "Pfft. _Suuure,_ Twilight." He made his best imitation of her from before. Twilight gave him a disapproving glare. "Anyway, I'm gonna go now. Have fun with your books!"

He opened the door, scurrying outside to avoid a book Twilight threw at him from across the room. It smacked against the wall right where he had been standing and fell to the floor with a thud. Before she could launch anything else, he slammed the door behind him with a mischievous giggle.

When it was clear he had left, Twilight picked the book back up with her magic, inspecting it for damage or marks. Miraculously, there were none. She put the book back onto the shelf, unable to prevent a smile from forming on her face. She chuckled with a good-natured shake of her head.

"Oh, Spike, what am I going to do with you?"

…

Unfortunately for the baby dragon, in the midst of his excitement, he had totally forgotten Twilight's advice.

He started out fleeing the library at a pace he could not possibly maintain, and within less than five minutes he was forced to stop, coughing violently with his hands on his knees. He had at least made it down the street, but now he felt like a vacuum was sucking the air from his lungs, and the longer he leaned forward to catch his breath, the more his belly began to weigh him down and pull him toward the street.

When he looked back up he noticed a few ponies were shooting him perplexed looks as they walked past. His brow creased with newfound determination when he realized other ponies were watching him, and he broke out into a jog once more.

This time, he made it all the way around the corner before he had to stop again. He coughed into a closed fist, holding his gut with his other hand.

_Maybe this whole "getting in shape" thing isn't for me,_ he reasoned to himself. After all, Twilight had said a while ago that a little bulge in the belly was normal for his age…

Still, he knew that if he showed back up at the library after only being out for less than fifteen minutes, Twilight would never let him hear the end of it. She'd probably nag him, telling him that he should have listened to her and taken it slow, and that she had, once again, been right all along. But he could have _none_ of that.

So, he settled for a compromise and walked instead.

He soon found the exercise to be more up his alley. All he had to do was walk around town for a while and Twilight wouldn't even know he hadn't been running, he surmised. After all, walking still counted as working out…right?

Suddenly, the intoxicating aroma of cinnamon and warm sugary glaze greeted his nostrils. His head whirled around, searching for the source of the smell: Sugarcube Corner.

He froze. _Oh no._

Nutmeg, spiced apples, brown sugar and honey, flaky pastries fresh from the oven, buttercream icing: he could smell all of it. Each scent conjured up images in his brain of the glass counter inside, lined with the finest cakes, tarts, cobblers, and pies that could be found.

_Oh…yes._

His stomach purred seductively underneath him with newfound appetite. He kept his feet rooted to the spot, resisting his urges to just give in and call it a day. However, the rest of his body subconsciously leaned forward, gravitating towards the beloved bakery.

_It's okay, Spike,_ his growling stomach seemed to say. _You've been exercising for long enough. It's only your first day, after all. You really should take a break and treat yourself to something nice. You totally deserve it._

"No…" said Spike aloud. "I… I shouldn't…"

_Don't be silly,_ his stomach growled again in reply. Spike ignored it as best as he could, trying instead to think of something else to take his mind off the heavenly smell, but it was fruitless.

_Come on, Spike,_ it said. He clenched his jaw muscles tight. _Just one little cupcake…_

"No," he refused. But his stomach wasn't quite ready to give up just yet. This time, it didn't say anything in particular, but its message to his brain was quite clear.

_Wuuuuurpp!_

That was it. With a final resolution, Spike pointed at his belly with one of his sharp claws and exclaimed in a loud voice, "Shut up! I'm not gonna do it, so stop trying!"

"Err… excuse me?"

The sound of a pony's voice close by made him jerk his head up, looking in the direction of the speaker. Lyra stood right in front of him, only a few meters away. Her pupils dilated with worry.

"Err, Spike? Who are you talking to?"

Spike mouth fell open. He stammered, "Uhh, uh… nobody. Just… talking to myself."

_To your stomach. Your __**stomach**__._

Lyra backed up a few steps, watching him closely. She smiled, but her face gave him a clear indication that she thought he was crazy. Spike didn't blame her.

"Um… okay, then… H-have a good day."

Spike smiled back with a pair of crimson cheeks on full display. "Thanks. You… you, too."

She waved to him, and without another word they went their separate ways. Once she was gone, Spike sighed with relief, exiting downtown and leaving the aroma of fresh baked goods behind.

Ponyville was small, and pretty soon he had made a left turn into the residential area of town. Multi-leveled houses stood on either side of him, containing sizable yards in addition to flower and vegetable gardens which were in full bloom. It was not like he never came to this part of Ponyville, but considering all of Twilight's friends either lived downtown or in the opposite direction, he didn't visit this area very often. He walked at a leisurely pace, looking around at the less familiar part of town with curiosity.

He soon came to a three way intersection. The main road went straight, and another, much thinner road branched off to the right. To his surprise, Spike realized he had never gone down the road on the right before. Curious to see where it led, he made the turn.

Right away he could see a difference in the size of the houses on this road. They were much smaller than the multi-leveled homes he had seen coming in, and their yards were less sizable as well. There were no fancy flower gardens that he could see, either. Spike knew that Ponyville was a prosperous town and that there was a high degree of economic equality, but as in every city and town, there was always a place where the less prosperous lived. From the looks of it, Spike guessed he had made it to that place.

The road was a dead end, but Spike did not realize this until he had nearly reached the end of the cul-de-sac. He frowned, turning around and heading back the way he came. But before he could make it very far, he heard something that made him stop dead in his tracks…

A faint cry of distress.

Based on what he could tell, it came from somewhere behind him at the end of the cul-de-sac. Spike turned back around, suddenly on the alert. His eyes scanned between each of the three houses on the dead-end, listening closely. He was not sure if he had actually heard something, as the sound had been muted and unclear at best, but he was determined to find out.

He stood there for a little while, but the only sound he could hear was the chattering of a cicada in one of the nearby trees. Even so, he stood in the center of the street for quite a while longer, the sun getting lower and lower in the sky.

He never heard the sound again. Part of him wanted to go back and check the houses and investigate further, but he didn't want to snoop around in places where he didn't belong, either. Finally, after careful consideration, he decided to head back to the library.

On the way back, Spike no longer looked around him at the rows of houses, or at the trees, or at the birds that flew past. He barely even smelled Sugarcube Corner. Instead, he looked at the ground directly in front of his feet.

There was only one thing on his mind: Had he or hadn't he heard something?

Back at the cul-de-sac, next the middle house, a blue scooter stood propped up against a tree.

…

Twilight heard the library door open behind her. She glanced up at the clock from her place near one of the bookshelves; he had been gone for nearly an hour. She grinned.

"Hey, Spike," she said over her shoulder. "How was your run? You were certainly gone for a while."

The door shut with a click. "Fine."

A one work answer; he sounded less than enthusiastic. Twilight picked up on this right away, and thinking something was the matter, she turned around.

He was already walking over to the stairs, not even bothering to look at her. She furrowed her brow in puzzlement, asking, "Uh, Spike? Are you feeling okay?"

The dragon shrugged. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired," he said absentmindedly. He was already on the first step, his back faced to her. She raised one eyebrow.

"You sure? You don't sound like it… did you start out slow?"

She couldn't see Spike roll his eyes at the question. He stopped halfway up the stairs, making eye contact with her for the first time since he returned.

"Yeah, I did. I'm fine, okay? I just need a nap, that's all," he insisted. "Nothing's wrong."

Twilight did not believe him. She had known the dragon for too long _not_ to know when something was the matter with him. Nonetheless, she could tell from his grumpy demeanor that she wasn't going to get anywhere fast by asking questions, so she decided it would be best to leave him be for now and try her luck later.

"Okay, then. Have a good nap. I'll be quiet down here for you," she added. He gave her a thumbs up over his shoulder.

"Thanks," he said before he was lost to sight. Twilight gazed up the stairwell, biting her lip.

"Oh Spike," she sighed, shaking her head, "what am I going to do with you?"

…

It was a scooter accident. Yep, another one. Yeah, I know. I really do need to take a break from all of those crazy tricks. If I'm not careful, I might get hurt even worse next time. Got it.

It was always a scooter accident.

A cricket chirped outside her window. Being a light sleeper, on most nights this would have kept her awake for quite a while. But not tonight. Tonight, it was the fresh blue and brown spots on her hide that did the job for her.

Each time she settled into the mattress, her body weight settled upon a previously undiscovered bruise, forcing her to roll over and try her luck on the other side. She rolled from right to left and back again more times than she could count, but after numerous unsuccessful attempts, she gave up with an irritated sigh and sat herself up against the headboard, laying her head up against the wall.

It was _never_ a scooter accident.

The blinds over her window were broken and bent in several places, allowing the moon's phosphorescent glow to seep in through the cracks. Placing one of her forelegs into the light, she revealed a black spot which had risen into a bump just above her hoof. The pegasus filly poked it gently, wincing as the pain resurfaced from the slightest touch. Bending further forward, the moonlight illuminated another mark, this time a black and blue ring on the underside of her arm. The girl rolled her eyes. Sitting still in her desk was going to be even more challenging than usual tomorrow.

Her scooter was a curse in disguise. Something she could hide behind, could use as a shield from inquiry. It was such a perfect excuse that even Miss Cheerilee didn't ask about her bruises any more. In fact, she could already rehearse tomorrow morning in her head; she'd walk into school, and Miss Cheerilee would just shake her head at her and tell everypony to take their seats. Applebloom might give her a knowing smirk.

And that was that. No more questions. Everypony already knew.

Just another scooter accident.

**Author's Note:**

Author's Note: So, here it is. The first chapter to the "sequel" of _Like Shattered Glass._ While I know they may not seem related just yet, I can assure you that they are chronologically linked.

Anywho, sorry for writing such a short chapter, but life's been smacking me around like a little bitch for the past few weeks and I haven't been able to write a whole lot until these last two days. Sorry.

Hopefully this is up to speed with my other stuff. I didn't feel that great about this overall, and I'm aware that there are probably things I still need to work on. If you have any suggestions, let me know!

Thanks a lot for reading!


	2. Catharsis

At this altitude, the air was thin. But over the years, Rainbow Dash's lungs had gotten so accustomed to the elevation that she had developed a deep-seeded affection for it. This was her home outside of home.

The sound of her wings flapping developed an easy rhythm as she ascended higher and higher. She extended her forelegs out on either side as if she was walking an invisible tightrope, keeping her body vertical as the clouds masked her view of the pale-green meadow below.

An 'o' formed on her lips as she sucked in a breath of frigid air, eyes closing for a moment in pure bliss before letting the air back out in a long exhale. Her breath turned to mist in front of her, a light breeze blowing the condensed vapor back onto her face. She breathed it back in, repeating the cycle over and over until she had reached the count of sixty, and then she looked back down to the earth.

The ground was invisible, completely obscured by a layer of clouds now far beneath her. Rainbow Dash smirked.

Her wings flapped at an almost lethargic pace. Both forelegs remained extended for balance, keeping her perpendicular to the ground that was now over a mile down. She breathed in again, but instead of exhaling, she held the icy air in her lungs.

Her forelegs fell to her sides. She pressed them tightly against her cyan coat, and after one more flap, her wings followed suit. The air she had been holding in her lungs escaped from between pursed lips.

She dropped.

Nothing was audible except for the roar of air cascading over her ears. Eyes closed, she concentrated on keeping her body motionless, forcing herself to keep her wings pressed against her back and submitting to gravity's pull. For a minute, her fate felt entirely out of her control.

Then…weightlessness.

The sensation of falling, of her insides rising in her chest, disappeared. Replacing it was the feeling of floating in empty space, with nothing but a net of air holding her in place.

She counted back from ten.

_Nine… eight…_

Her lips mouthed the numbers, eyes never opening. She had to time this perfectly.

_Seven…six…five…_

Her wings twitched at her sides, awaiting release. They wouldn't have to wait much longer.

_Five…four…three…_

She stretched her forelegs out in front of her.

_Two…one…_

She pivoted her body forward, rolling in midair until her head was aiming down at the earth, diving headfirst with her forelegs extended in front of her head. The pegasus opened her eyes.

_One…_

The ground was so close that she could practically make out each individual blade of meadow grass as it bowed and swayed in the breeze.

_Go._

Her wings shot out, lithe back muscles flexing and veins on her neck looking fit to burst. She flapped with all her might, projecting her body forward and out. The tips of the meadow grass reached up to brush against her underbelly, and she careened toward the ground with eye-blurring speed.

But just as her body was about to strike the ground, she angled her wings parallel to the meadow, pulling up at the last possible second.

Had Rainbow Dash been flying over sand, she would have turned it to glass.

The meadow grass underneath her did not stand a chance, uprooted and hurled aside as she tore over the landscape, leaving a straight line of black soil in her wake. Wings flapping relentlessly, she didn't slow down.

She was heading straight for Ponyville.

…

Scootaloo gripped the handlebars differently today. One foreleg rested on top, as usual, but the other one she placed under the bar. It was the only way she could grip it without pressing on the bruise on her foreleg.

Her leg kicked back tiredly on the dirt road, propelling herself forward in tune with her buzzing wings. Occasionally, she readjusted her hoof on the handlebars, grunting every time she was careless enough to touch it on the metal. It was going to be a few days before she could use her leg normally again.

The schoolhouse was only a few minutes away. Unease gnawed at her stomach, and acid rose to the back of her throat. No matter how many times she came to school marked up, she always felt the same trepidation; they'd find out. It was too obvious this time, she'd tell herself. They'd suspect something, and they'd find out.

But as soon as she arrived at the schoolyard, she always managed to push it all into the background. Nopony ever saw her sweat; show off your colors proudly, and nopony would ever be the wiser. Nopony ever was.

In the midst of her thoughts, she caught a movement out of the corner of her eye in the direction of the meadow. Her back hoof dragged on the dirt to bring her scooter to a stop, and she peered out into the expansive field.

It was little more than a blur, but it was soon readily apparent that it was getting closer to her. She squinted, watching it with a close eye. Whatever it was, it was moving extremely fast…

Her eyes grew wide with astonishment as she noticed the rainbow-colored streak the blur left behind. There was only one thing it could be: Rainbow Dash.

Scootaloo watched with amazement as her surrogate sister screamed across the ground from right to left, moving diagonally over the landscape. The pegasus filly gave a tiny flutter of her own wings from excitement; even being a spectator to Rainbow Dash's awesomeness was enough to fill her with glee.

Unfortunately, she was only able to watch the show for a little while longer. As the blur that was Rainbow Dash approached Ponyville's outer limits, she noticed the other pegasus slowing down considerably until she came to a halt in midair, hovering several meters above the ground. Scootaloo was a little too far away to call out to her, but she watched Rainbow Dash from the road for a few seconds longer before she gave her scooter a kickstart, heading on her way. Scootaloo looked over her shoulder one last time, trying to catch one last look of her idol before she was lost to view.

She nearly fell off her scooter when she saw Rainbow Dash zooming straight for her.

"Squiiiiirt!"

Rainbow Dash shot past, skidding to a halt on the road in front of Scootaloo. The pegasus filly gave a whoop of surprise, putting her right hoof over her heart.

"Squirt!" Rainbow Dash beamed. She was panting from her earlier exercise, but that didn't stop her from having the usual pep in her step as she walked over to her. "What's up?"

"Sheesh, Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo retorted back, sounding upset but smiling nonetheless. "You scared me!"

The elder pegasus laughed. "Haha, yeah… Sorry 'bout that." She messed up Scootaloo's mane. "Saw you riding to school, so I thought I'd drop by to say hi to my 'little sister' before she got there."

Hearing the word "sister" uttered from her idol's mouth lifted Scootaloo five feet off the ground. It had been some time since that fateful camping trip where Rainbow Dash had offered to take Scootaloo under her wing, but it was a fact that was sometimes still hard for her to believe.

"Oh, well…" Her heart beat faster with contained joy. "Th-thanks, Rainbow Dash…"

"Don't mention it. Oh, and I almost forgot to ask; are you still coming on Friday?" Rainbow Dash implored with a cock of her head. Scootaloo gave her a blank stare.

"Friday? What's on… _oh yeah,_" Scootaloo remembered. Her eyes brightened. "Yeah, of course! Getting flying lessons from you? I wouldn't miss it for the world!"

Rainbow Dash chuckled. "Alright, Scoot, sounds good. I'll catch ya later— whoa."

She was about to fly off when she stopped herself mid-flap. Scootaloo already gave her scooter a kickstart, but she stopped herself again. Rainbow Dash stretched her neck out, looking at Scootaloo's underarm. She grimaced.

"Dang, Scoot… how'd you get banged up?" She pointed to the large splotch of black and blue under Scootaloo's arm. The filly's breath caught in her lungs.

"Oh…" Scootaloo looked down to where Rainbow was pointing. When she saw the bruise, she instinctively went to cover it up with her other hoof. "This?"

"Yeah, that."

Scootaloo swallowed her nervousness. It had been awhile since she had been put on the spot like this…

"Yeah, I, uh… I messed up on the landing when I was doing a jump on my scooter yesterday, and the wheels kinda hit a rock, so… I flew over the handlebars and… yeah." A timid smile accompanied the conclusion of her story.

Rainbow Dash sighed with relief. "Oh, thank goodness. I thought maybe you were having problems with bullies or something like that…"

"Bullies? Oh, pfft," Scootaloo scoffed, shooing an imaginary fly away from her face. "Nah, that's not a problem. Just another scooter accident… "

Rainbow Dash tousled Scootaloo's mane again with a good-hearted chuckle. "I always knew you were tough as nails, Scoot. And you know what they say: no pain, no gain! I mean, as long as you don't get hurt _too_ bad… Heck, I remember banging myself up like that more than a few times when I was your age. Now look at me." She gestured to herself with a flourish of her wings, making the pegasus filly giggle.

The sound of the school bell traveled a half-mile down the road. It was muffled by the long distance it had to travel, but both ponies heard it nonetheless. Rainbow Dash's pupils dilated with surprise.

"Uh oh… did I make you late for school?" she asked. Scootaloo shrugged.

"Nah, don't worry about it… Miss Cheerilee's pretty chill about tardies and stuff like that…"

Rainbow Dash frowned. "Are you sure, Squirt? I can tell Miss Cheerilee it was my fault if you want…"

"Nah. I'm fine," she insisted. "But I really should get going… no offense…"

She buzzed her tiny wings to propel her scooter forward. Rainbow Dash waved at her as she went away. "None taken, Squirt. Have a good day! And remember, five o'clock Friday!" She called out a last reminder.

Scootaloo was still moving forward, but she replied back over her shoulder. "Thanks, I'll be there!"

She gave her wings one more buzz, zooming off in the other direction. Rainbow Dash waited until the filly had disappeared from view before she flew away, heading back to town.

"Can't wait, Squirt. Can't wait."

...

Slouching forward in her desk was her usual posture, but not today. The bruise on her underside pressed up against the edge of the desk every time she leaned too far forward, so she was forced to sit up straight in her chair. Needless to say, it annoyed her a lot, but in a sense it was a good thing because it forced her to stay awake despite only getting two hours of sleep the night before.

"Now, could somepony tell me what the root of this number would be?" Cheerilee asked, tapping the number "144" on the board. Several foals and fillies raised their hooves, but she looked them over, not calling on any of them.

"How about somepony that hasn't contributed so far today… Scootaloo? Could you tell us?" She asked the pegasus filly sitting near the back of the room. Scootaloo jumped at the mention of her name.

"Hmm, what? Wh-what was the question?" She asked, rubbing her tired eyes. Cheerilee frowned, but repeated the question calmly.

"Could you tell us the square root of this number, Scootaloo?"

The filly looked at the number on the board that Cheerilee was pointing to. She stared at it with her mouth open, but no words came out.

"Uhh… square root…" She thought hard, trying to remember the day's lesson before this point. Cheerilee waited patiently, giving Scootaloo plenty of time to think.

But after nearly half a minute had elapsed, Scootaloo asked her, "I, uh… what's a square root, again?"

A chorus of snickers sounded from all around the room. Cheerilee's ears fell back on her head, discouraged that her student had not been listening, but as soon as she heard the laughing, she immediately became aggressive.

"Now, that is _enough._ I do not EVER want to hear laughing at a fellow classmate for any reason. Are we clear?" She asked with venom in her voice.

The class fell silent. Cheerilee glared at all of them.

"I said, _are we clear?_

"Yes, Miss Cheerilee," the class said in unison, averting their eyes in shame. Scootaloo slumped in her chair in spite of her bruises.

_Rrrrringgg!_

Saved by the bell. Scootaloo exhaled with relief.

"Okay, students, that's all we have time for today. Now remember to study for the quiz on squares and square roots for tomorrow! It's going to be a tough one!"

Her students groaned, but she ignored them, smiling warmly at each one as they walked past. "Have a great day, and remember to get a good night's sleep!"

Scootaloo could have sworn Miss Cheerilee was looking straight at her when she said that. She avoided eye contact with her, keeping her gaze low and on the floor.

"Hrey, Scroot," somepony with a familiar country twang piped up from beside her. Scootaloo turned around, seeing Applebloom with a notebook in her mouth and putting it in her saddlebag.

"Oh, hey, Applebloom," Scootaloo rubbed at the bruise under her arm. "What's up?"

Applebloom closed her bag. "Nothin' much, just wrote up an extra set of notes for Sweetie Belle. Ah'm gonna bring 'em over to her right now. You're coming with, right?"

Scootaloo nodded right away. "Yeah, of course! Oh, and thanks for taking all the notes today. I dunno, I'm just kinda… out of it right now."

"Um, excuse me Scootaloo, but could I see you for a minute?"

It was Miss Cheerilee. Scootaloo stopped, lowering her head. She grimaced; it was a sentence every foal dreaded to hear from a teacher. Applebloom smiled an apology to her as she inched toward the open door.

"Ah'll… Ah'll wait out here for ya, okay?" She walked out, leaving Scootaloo alone with Miss Cheerilee. The little filly turned around with great reluctance, as if expecting to see a monster standing right behind her.

But all she saw was the smiling mare sitting behind her desk. Miss Cheerilee motioned to her for her to take a seat at one of the front desks.

"It's alright, Scootaloo. You're not in trouble, don't worry. I just wanted to talk to you about a few things." She pointed to the desk directly in front of her. Scootaloo's mind was put relatively at ease by this statement, but it didn't stop the nervousness from lingering.

"Okay…" She moved to the desk indicated, sitting herself down in a careful manner to avoid putting pressure on a mark closer to her flanks. Miss Cheerilee's brow furrowed at her.

"You alright there?" she asked. Scootaloo smirked, ignoring the dull, throbbing pain and pushing it to the background.

"Yeah, I'm fine. You know how it is." She smiled to assure the teacher she was fine. Miss Cheerilee shook her head.

"Ah, yes… but you really should be more careful when you're on that scooter… I've seen you riding out there, and it's a miracle you haven't broken every bone in your body considering all the crazy tricks you do."

Scootaloo forced out a laugh, hooves shuffling under her desk, out of Miss Cheerilee's view. "Well, you know what they say…" She remembered Rainbow Dash's words from that morning. "No pain, no gain."

Miss Cheerilee sighed. "Yes, yes, I suppose you're right… but that's not why I wanted to talk to you today, Scootaloo."

The mare watched as Scootaloo shuffled uncomfortably in her desk. She took it as a sign of nervousness.

"I wanted to talk to you today about your participation in class…" she stated. She was not scolding the girl in any way, but rather, her tone conveyed genuine concern. "I've noticed that you seemed to be having trouble focusing on what I'm teaching. And it's not just today… all last week you seemed to be having trouble. Is that wrong of me to say, Scootaloo?"

The filly shook her head. "No, you're right. Sorry…"

"And it's starting to affect your grades as well… they're slipping, Scootaloo. You're not failing, but you certainly are not performing at your best, either," she added. Scootaloo slouched in her chair.

"Oh. I didn't know that… I just haven't been sleeping very well lately."

Miss Cheerilee listened to her student's explanation for her unusual behavior; the girl's vague explanation was not quite enough for her. She wanted to know more.

"And why is that, might I ask? Have you not been feeling well?" she probed.

Scootaloo shrugged with nonchalance. "Yeah, I've been feeling fine. Really, I have, I'm just…" She looked down at the big mark underneath her foreleg. "It's… all the bruises made it hard to sleep last night, so…"

Miss Cheerilee groaned, exasperated. Scootaloo made a pained expression, sinking down in her chair again as she prepared for the inevitable lecture she was about to receive.

"Scootaloo… I don't know how many times I've had to tell you to be more careful on that scooter of yours," she began, "and I know I just talked about this to you a minute ago, but… Scootaloo, you can't just keep doing what you're doing and expect not to get seriously hurt one day. You might think right now that it's only bruises, but if you're not careful, one day you could end up with broken bones. Or worse!"

She shuddered at the thought. Scootaloo, on the other hoof, was unaffected by it. She had heard this same speech one to many times. And while she knew Cheerilee meant well, hearing it yet again only served to annoy her. Anger her, even…

"I know, Miss Cheerilee, I know. I'm sorry." She tried her best to sound sincere. Miss Cheerilee breathed deeply, looking Scootaloo directly in the eyes.

"I forgive you, Scootaloo. But… I'm afraid that last time was your final warning. I think I'm going to have to talk with your father about your… daredevil tendencies."

As soon as the sentence had left her mouth, Scootaloo's nonchalance instantly went away, replaced with pure horror. She sat back up in her desk.

"Wait… wait, no, no! I thought you said I wasn't in trouble!" She cried, indignant. Miss Cheerilee shook her head rapidly.

"You're not, Scootaloo! I'm not talking about a parent-teacher conference for bad fillies, I'm just saying that I think I need to tell your father—"

"No, you don't need to! You don't! I promise not to crash on my scooter any more, okay?" Scootaloo was practically begging her, now. "I'm gonna be more careful from now on, I promise!"

Miss Cheerilee was taken aback by the distress of Scootaloo's response. If she hadn't known better, she would have thought Scootaloo had just been suspended from school.

"Shh, relax, Scootaloo! All I want to do is make your father aware of—"

But Scootaloo wasn't listening. She talked over Miss Cheerilee, eyes shiny as they began to well up. "No, you don't need to tell him! I'll be more careful, I won't do tricks any more, I'll focus in class, everything!"

Miss Cheerilee looked into the distraught eyes of the filly in front of her. The girl's pale purple irises pleaded with her, her pupils expanded with fright. The mare did not know what to think of all this, but seeing Scootaloo acting the way she was, she decided to consent to the girl's wishes just this once.

"Okay, Scootaloo," she relented, "I will give you _one_ last chance. But if I see you come to class again, bruised everywhere… I'm going to mention your grades to your father. Again, not to get you in some sort of trouble, but just to let him know how it's affecting your studies. Okay?"

Scootaloo closed her eyes, sucking back the tears that were threatening to fall down her cheeks and breathing a sigh of relief. "Okay, got it. Thank… thanks, Miss Cheerilee. I'll be more careful, honest." She said in earnest.

Miss Cheerilee nodded at her in approval. "Alright, Scootaloo. I think that's everything." She turned around, grabbing the chalkboard eraser and proceeding to wipe off the board. "You're free to go, my little pony."

Realizing she was dismissed, Scootaloo did not hesitate to get up from the desk, making a beeline for the door. Miss Cheerilee smiled; she could tell Scootaloo had been waiting for her to say that for a long time.

"Have a good day, Scootaloo!" The filly heard her teacher call out behind her. Scootaloo turned around as she went out the door, waving back to Cheerilee.

"Thanks... y-you, too."

She exited the classroom, leaving Cheerilee there all by herself. After she finished erasing the board, the schoolteacher sat down at her desk, staring at the several rows of desks which were now empty. Resting her elbows on the table, she tapped her hooves together and held her head up with her forelegs. She sat there for quite some time, not budging in the slightest and looking straight at the desk Scootaloo had just been in.

She could still the terror in that filly's eyes.

…

"So… what'd she say to you?" Applebloom asked Scootaloo as they walked side by side through the schoolyard. Scootaloo rolled her eyes.

"Oh, you know… just stuff about how I need to be more careful on my scooter and all that…" She kicked a pebble. Applebloom regarded her with an amused expression.

"Again, huh? Well, Ah mean, yeah," she laughed, "You do kinda show up to school with a bunch of nasty lookin' scrapes and bruises, like, every other week. Ah don't blame her for wantin' to getcha to stop bein' so crazy."

Scootaloo grunted in reply, kicking another pebble in front of her hoof, this time much harder. It shot up in the air, landing many meters away. Applebloom shot her friend an inquisitive look.

"What?" she asked innocently. Scootaloo shrugged.

"Nothing," she retorted. "I'm just… not feeling that great right now. Is it… is it okay with you if I just grab my scooter and call it a day? I mean, can you drop by Sweetie Belle's by yourself, just for today?"

Applebloom cocked her head to the side. They had been going together to visit Sweetie every day since the day of the rattlesnake bite, and this would be the first time one of them couldn't make it.

"Umm… yeah, Ah guess. You sure? I mean, if you ain't feeling good…"

"Yeah, I'm sure… sorry, Applebloom," Scootaloo apologized. "I'm just feeling really crummy right now."

"Nah, that's okay. Ah'm sure she'll understand. Don't want to get her sick, too." Applebloom smiled as they began to part ways. "See yah tomorrow! Hope you feel better!"

"See yah! And thanks!" Scootaloo yelled back to her. She moved over to her scooter, which she had left lying down on the dirt on the far end of the yard after recess. "Oh, and tell Sweetie Belle I said hi!"

"Ah will!" Applebloom shouted back. They waved to each other, and Applebloom walked down the street, leaving Scootaloo alone on the yard.

All of her other classmates had walked home or been picked up already, leaving her there all by herself. Scootaloo eyed her helmet and scooter lying there, side by side on the dirt of the yard. After putting on the helmet, she grabbed the handlebar with her good foreleg—the one without the bruise—and set it upright on the ground, stepping onto the platform with her front leg. She was about to hop on.

Then, inexplicably, she stopped herself.

For a while she just stood there, not moving an inch, staring at the blue painted scooter. She looked at the fine wood finish, now covered in nicks and bumps from frequent use, and the once-shiny red wheels now made dull from wear and tear.

For a reason she could not explain, something was swelling up inside her. Akin to the throbbing of her bruises, but it wasn't pain. It was heat.

Rage.

It built up slowly, the veins on her leg bulging as her muscles tensed up. Teeth audibly scraped against each other, and her foreleg gripped the handlebars tighter and tighter until it turned blue from the lack of circulation.

And then, she let it loose. The pegasus filly threw the handlebars down, and the scooter clattered against the dirt.

"Raaagh!" A high pitched roar escaped her as she kicked out at it, her hoof making a dull smack as it connected with the platform's hardwood surface. She kicked it again, even harder than the first, and then again, punctuating each kick with an angry shriek. The scooter just lay there, accepting its master's treatment without complaint.

Scootaloo switched to stomping on it now, slamming her hoof down on the metal neck of the scooter. Her vision became blurred with tears, causing her hoof to sometimes miss its mark, but she did not stop. The scooter clattered against the ground with each strike, jerking left and right with the force of every hit it was dealt.

At last, after a full minute, Scootaloo stepped back, chest heaving as she panted for air. The scooter was several meters away from where it had been at the beginning, pushed across the ground during the course of the beating. Looking down, she noticed her hooves were covered in even more bruises than before, and as the adrenaline started to subside, she began to feel them in full.

On a set of shaky legs, Scootaloo hobbled over to her fallen ride, wincing with every step she took. The scooter waited for her in silence, a few new marks adorning the finish, but otherwise unharmed.

Once she reached it, she propped it back up, standing on the wooden platform, and with a kick of her back hoof and a buzz of her wings, she headed for home.

…

**Author's Note:**

I wrote this chapter while juggling three other papers for my classes, so I hope it doesn't feel rushed or disjointed as a consequence. Considering the circumstances, I don't think I did a bad job, but I'll let you guys be the judge of that.

And I'm aware that this story might feel completely separate from "Like Shattered Glass" right now (despite including a reference in there to it), but they're connected, I promise.

Lemme know what you guys think! Praise is cool and stuff, but I'm always itching for come constructive criticism!


	3. One Day

Having somepony to talk to on the trip was always nice. But today, Applebloom was walking all by herself, and she didn't like it one bit.

Seeing Sweetie after school had become an everyday routine, and despite the long trek, neither of them ever missed a visit; on the two nights a week that Miss Cheerilee didn't tutor Sweetie Belle at home, Applebloom and Scootaloo would go over the day's lesson with her…

Or, at least, that was what they did _officially._ Applebloom was pretty sure Sweetie's parents knew they weren't exactly tutoring her all the way until sundown, but she was also pretty sure they didn't care, either. In a sense, their home had become the new Cutie Mark Crusaders clubhouse, and even if they couldn't go Crusading like they used to, they never let that stop them from having fun.

With a shrug of her shoudlers, Applebloom readjusted the saddlebag on her back. The trip took a little while, usually between twenty minutes to a half hour depending on how fast you walked, but today it felt like an hour. There was a first time for everything, and she knew Sweetie Belle would understand why Scootaloo couldn't come, but that didn't stop her from feeling down about it regardless.

The road narrowed as she made the turn into Sweetie's neighborhood. The houses here were quite sizable, and Sweetie's house was no exception: Three floors, with a sizable yard and the added bonus of a nice view of the Ponyville pond up front. The millwheel next door groaned and creaked, the sound accompanied by the rhythmic, hissing plop of water running off the wheel-slats and falling into the pond below.

Applebloom walked over the well-trimmed grass of her friend's front yard and stepped onto the front porch. An ornate silver knocker was placed in the center of the door, and Applebloom grabbed a hold of it, rapping it against the door three times. From inside, she could hear the sound of hooves padding lightly over a carpet floor, and the door swung open.

Sweetie Belle's mother was on the other side, and seeing Applebloom standing there, she smiled wide.

"Applebloom, sweetheart! Come on in." She stepped to the side to allow Applebloom entry. The filly wiped her hooves on the doormat before stepping inside.

"Hold on, I'm coming!"

The squeaky voice of her fellow Crusader was unmistakable. Applebloom turned her head to the voice, looking at the doorway to one of the adjacent rooms. Sweetie Belle's mother darted over the carpet and to the entrance of the other room.

"No, no! You just stay where you are, Sweetie! We'll come to you…"

"No, no, that's okay. I'm already, like, halfway there." Sweetie could be heard giggling from a short distance away. "I'm fine."

Applebloom's view of Sweetie was blocked by the wall, but she could see her mother shooting her a disapproving glare.

"Sweetie… just, be careful, okay?" She said with the worry only a mother could have. "You're still just getting used to walking on it."

Applebloom could hear Sweetie's quiet laughter in tandem with a set of irregular hoofsteps on the hardwood floor. "I know, mom. Don't worry, I'm starting to get the hang of it."

The white unicorn filly emerged, stepping her front leg onto the carpet. Her only front leg. She looked up from the floor.

"Hey, Applebloom!" A bright smile was on her face. However, it took only a moment to fade as she looked at the spot beside Applebloom. "Where's Scoots?"

Applebloom smiled back, but there was a hint of melancholy to it. "Hey, Sweetie Belle. Scoot isn't... she's not feeling good, so she went home for today. So it's just me 'n you."

Sweetie Belle looked saddened by the news. Her eyes expanded at the mention of Scootaloo being ill. "Oh… well, I hope she feels better…" she pushed off the ground with her two back legs, sending herself forward and landing on her foreleg in a limping step. Sweetie's mother came forward to help her, but the filly shook her head roughly.

"No, I got it, really." She took another hobbling step forward, eyes fixed on her front leg with intense concentration.

Applebloom, on the other hand, wasn't going to let Sweetie walk all the way across. She met her halfway and gave Sweetie a hug with one foreleg. Unable to hug her back, Sweetie pressed her cheek against Applebloom's neck, a gentle smile on her face. Sweetie's mother still hovered behind her daughter, but when it was apparent that Sweetie was in good hooves, she nodded one last acknowledgement to Applebloom and left them there alone.

"I've got the notes," said Applebloom after she pulled away. "We did math today."

Sweetie groaned. "Math? Ugh!" She pouted, walking in her unique gait alongside Applebloom. "I hate math."

The farm filly laughed. "Yeah, Ah know. Don't worry, Ah'll teach it to ya. Ah've always liked math." She gave her a confident smirk. Sweetie stuck her tongue out in disgust.

"Bleugh! I don't get how. All those numbers just make me dizzy," she replied. "I don't get why you're so good at it."

Applebloom shrugged. "Just comes natural to me, Ah guess."

Sweetie Belle took another step forward, but stopped in the middle of the floor. Applebloom didn't notice at first, but when she turned her head to talk to Sweetie, she realized that the unicorn filly was behind her.

"You need help?" She asked, concerned. Sweetie shook her head again.

"No, I'm… I'm good. Just need to rest for a second," she said with a short puff of air. Applebloom raised one eyebrow.

"Ya sure?"

"Yeah." She coughed once to clear her throat. "I'm fine. I can make it."

She started forward again to prove her point, but it was soon obvious that she was still not having an easy time with it. Applebloom was only an inch away from ignoring Sweetie and helping her anyway, but she dissuaded herself at the last second. This was a matter of dignity, and she wasn't going to take that away from her friend. She swaggered from side to side to disguise the fact that she walking extra slow, hoping that Sweetie wouldn't notice.

Since Sweetie's bedroom had been on the third floor, her parents had moved her to the guest room downstairs. It was nigh impossible for the filly to traverse the stairs without help, and this option was far more doable. Applebloom opened the door, moving out of Sweetie's way. The unicorn filly staggered inside, and Applebloom closed the door behind her. She undid the strap of her saddlebag and grabbed it in her teeth, pulling it off her back and tossing it onto the covers of the bed.

The mattress was low to the ground to make it easier for Sweetie to reach. Applebloom hopped up, taking a seat on the comforter and taking the notes out of her saddlebag. Sweetie Belle followed Applebloom, using her hind legs to jump onto the bed and belly-flopping onto the mattress. The movement was clumsy, but it got the job done.

Applebloom laid the two note pages on the blanket as Sweetie scooted closer. The unicorn filly sulked.

"Alright, let's get this over with." She sighed. "What math did you guys do this time?"

Applebloom turned the paper so that the writing was facing Sweetie Belle. "We went over this thing called 'roots."'

Right away, Sweetie's face registered confusion at the unfamiliar term. "Roots? What do you mean, 'roots?' You mean like plants?"

Applebloom guffawed. "Plants? Oh, no. Like, _square_ roots." She put special emphasis on the word "square."

Sweetie Belle gave her a blank stare. Applebloom face-hooved.

"Well… okay, how about I just show you an example instead…"

…

The tip of Twilight's tongue stuck out of her mouth in concentration. Holding a quill in her magic, she traced it carefully over the scroll on her desk, pressing down very hard to ensure the writing was clear and legible. She finished the last word in the message, dipping the tip of her quill back in the inkwell. She pressed the tip of the quill back onto the paper.

_Whump!_

"Aaagh!"

Twilight cried out at the sound of her front door suddenly slamming open downstairs. She jumped in her seat, her quill streaking across the page and leaving behind a broad, black line over the words she had already written.

"Hey, Twilight! Are you here?" A raspy voice called from below.

That was all it took. Twilight rolled her eyes. She knew right away who had crashed through her front door.

"Yes, yes. I'm coming, Rainbow Dash." She set the quill back into the inkwell, taking a closer look at the scroll. The black line of ink was impossible to miss; she was going to have to write the whole thing over again. She scowled.

"Oh, for the love of..." she groaned. The alicorn tossed the ruined scroll into the trash and got up from her seat and trotting over to the stairs. "Gimme just a sec, Dash!"

When Twilight walked down, she was greeted by an excited rainbow pegasus at the bottom of the stairs. Rainbow Dash was rubbing her hooves together, hovering a meter above the floor.

"Hello, Rainbow Dash. How are you d-"

"So, do you have it? Do you?" Rainbow Dash cut her off , zipping over to Twilight and pressing her nose against the other mare's. "Did it come in yet?"

Twilight reared back a bit as Rainbow Dash got in her face, but gently pushed the pegasus back a few feet with her hoof. "Calm down there, Dash. Did what come in y-_Ohh..._" Twilight smiled. "That? Yep, it came in the mail just this morning. It's in the box over the-"

No sooner had she gestured to the small square box next to one of the far shelves than Rainbow Dash zoomed over to it, picking it up with her hooves. Twilight chuckled at her friend's enthusiasm.

"Aaalright!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. She wasted no time in tearing open the cardboard with her teeth. The item inside was encased in a layer of paper, and she tore that off as well, revealing the item: a brand new hardcover book. But not just any book. Rainbow Dash flipped it over to the front cover, an elated smile spreading over her face.

"_Daring Do and the Treasure of the Serpent Sea_," she read the book's title aloud. She had been waiting for the latest entry in the Daring Do series to arrive, and now it was finally in her hooves. She rubbed it against her cheek in an affectionate hug. "I can't believe it's finally here! I've been waiting ages for this thing!"

Twilight laughed. "Ages? It's only been... today's Thursday, and I put in the order Monday... so three days. Not that long."

Rainbow Dash looked incredulous. "Three days? It's definitely been waaaay longer than that..." She thought back to earlier in the week. "I mean, it's felt like at least a week... wait a second. You said today was Thursday?"

Twilight affirmed her with a nod. "Yep. Why do you ask?"

Rainbow Dash appeared worried by the news. She ran a hoof over the book's smooth cover.

"I thought today was Wednesday... That means that tomorrow is Friday." She reasoned aloud. "Which means..."

"What's the matter?" Twilight asked. Rainbow Dash shrugged, tossing the book back and forth from one hoof to another.

"Hm? Oh, nothing. It's just that I promised to give Scoots her first flying lesson on Friday, and that's actually tomorrow..."

"Oh, I see," said Twilight. A mistake in the ordering of one of the shelves caught her eye, and she began to rearrange some of the books with her magic. "Speaking of which, how's your whole thing with Scootaloo been going? You know, the whole "taking her under your wing" thing?"

Rainbow Dash caught the book, spinning it skillfully on her foreleg. "It's been going great. Scoots is a chip off the old block." She grinned. "I actually got to talk to her this morning on her way to school, which was pretty cool. She seemed pretty excited about Friday... tomorrow." She laughed with nervousness. "Guess I should start putting together a routine for her now, huh?"

Twilight switched the order of two of the books on the shelf. "Yeah, probably a good idea. Don't want to be unprepared."

Rainbow Dash agreed. "Yeah... And it'll probably be harder to come up with good stuff since she's a little banged up..."

"Oh? How so?" Twilight inquired. There was a trace of worry in her tone of voice. "What happened?"

Rainbow Dash gave her a smug grin. "She crashed her scooter when she was trying to do a trick." She saw Twilight wince, but the pegasus didn't seem too concerned. "I'm telling you, though, she's a chip off the old block. I remember doing stuff like that when I was her age and getting banged up, too. Little Squirt's as tough as nails."

Twilight could see the pride shining on Rainbow Dash's face. It was all she needed to prove that things between the two pegasi were going well.

"I'm glad to hear that, Dash. She sounds a lot like you," she said. Rainbow Dash nodded, staring down at the book held in her hooves.

"Yeah. She sure is," she affirmed. She stared down at the book, seemingly lost in thought for a moment before she spoke again. "Anyways... I think I should probably get going."

She glided over to Twilight, giving her a tight hug with the foreleg that was not holding the new hardcover. Twilight returned the grateful gesture.

"Thanks for the book, Twi!" The pegasus squeezed her, flapping her wings excitedly. "I know you said you'd give it to me for free, buuuut... if you ever change your mind and want me to pay you for it..."

Twilight immediately shook her head at the suggestion. "Oh, no. Don't worry about it. Consider it a gift from me to you," she offered.

Rainbow Dash drew away from the hug, crossing her forelegs over her chest. "You sure? I mean, I can go back and get the ten bits from my house..."

"No, that's fine." Twilight refused. "I have no problems with giving it to you for free. My treat."

Seeing she was serious, Rainbow Dash decided to take the gift. She clutched the shiny new hardcover with a grip of steel, and she glossed over the title once again. The prospect of more late nights spent reading was a good one.

"Okay, then. If you say so." She flew over to the door. "Thanks again, Twi! I think I'm really gonna like this one."

Twilight waved at the rainbow pegasus as she began to leave. "You're welcome! And good luck with your flying lessons!"

"Thanks! She's in good hooves, don't worry!" Rainbow Dash assured. Tucking the book underneath her, she waved one more farewell to Twilight and closed the door with a hard slam. Twilight winced at the loud sound.

"Geez, doesn't that pony know how to open and close doors without nearly breaking the frame?" She asked the bookshelves. They didn't answer her. She frowned.

"Yeah, right... back to work." She walked upstairs and sat back down at her desk. With a glance over at the trashcan, she eyed the ruined scroll. The alicorn sighed.

"Darn it, Rainbow Dash," she moaned. Hovering another blank scroll out from one of the cubbies on her desk, she took out the quill and began to write it all over again.

...

"Umm… 5?"

Applebloom grinned. "Eeyup! That's four in a row, now. You feel like you're startin' to get it?"

Sweetie Belle put her hoof under her chin, skimming over the notes once more. "I think so…" She pointed to one of the numbers on the paper with her snout. "So, that little number thingy next to the big number… what's it called again?"

Applebloom looked at the number indicated. "Oh, you mean that little number in the corner? The exponent?"

Sweetie nodded in affirmation. "Yeah, the expo… exparrot… that." She rolled her eyes with frustration. "When that's a two, that means you multiply that number by itself one time? And when that squiggly thingy is outside the number… what's that called again?"

Applebloom scrunched up her face in thought. It took her a second to think, but she eventually shook her head, smiling sheepishly. "Ah dunno, actually…"

"Meh, whatever the thingy's called," Sweetie blew it off, "that means square root?"

"Eeyup!" Applebloom confirmed. "I think you got the gist of it."

Sweetie Belle raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Really? I actually got it?" She was elated. "Wow, that's like… the first time I've actually gotten math that fast!"

Applebloom chuckled. "Yeah, y'see? It's not _that_ hard. It's actually pretty easy once you get used to it."

"Ehh…" Sweetie Belle narrowed her eyes skeptically. "I mean, I dunno about 'easy,' but…" She blushed, looking away bashfully, "…you're a good teacher, so… that's makes it better."

Applebloom took the compliment to heart. She blushed as well, feeling accomplished.

"Really? Well, Ah uh, Ah mean… thanks…" she cleared her throat out of nervousness. She never knew what to say when it came to compliments, even if they came from one of her best friends. "S-so… you wanna practice a little more? Y'know, just to make sure…"

Sweetie made a face at the prospect of doing even more math. "Well, I don't really… agh, fine," she consented with a groan, "I guess a little more couldn't hurt… hey, Applebloom? Can I ask you a quick question?"

"Yeah, what's up?" Applebloom replied. Sweetie Belle looked at her with an expression of concern.

"It's about Scoots… When you said she wasn't feeling good, did she say how sick she was? I mean, like, is she still okay?"

Only giving it a second's thought, Applebloom replied in the affirmative. "Oh yeah, she's still alright. Ah guess… Ah mean, she wasn't _real_ sick or anything, and she did come to school today, but... she didn't seem normal, either. She didn't look that great."

Sweetie Belle listened to every word, silently directing her gaze at the pillows on her bed. "Oh. Okay… sorry, I just wanted to know because Scoot's been… ah, nevermind." She stopped herself mid-sentence.

Applebloom noticed, and immediately her curiosity peaked. "Wait… been what? What about Scootaloo?" she inquired.

Sweetie Belle re-situated herself on the bed, fumbling awkwardly at the covers. "N-nevermind. It's nothing, just… it's nothing. Don't worry about it—"

"No, it's alright, you can tell me. Ah wanna know," Applebloom insisted. "Is something the matter with Scoots?"

Sweetie Belle pressed her lips together tightly, taking a deep breath through her nose and exhaling through her mouth.

"I don't wanna say, but… maybe I should just tell you," she relented. She played with the sheets with her foreleg, softening her voice to a near-whisper. "I just feel like… like, Scoots has been acting… different, lately."

Sweetie cringed the moment the words left her mouth. The filly never liked talking about other ponies behind their backs. Applebloom's brow narrowed down in a perplexed frown.

"Different? Like, whaddya mean, exactly?"

Sweetie pursed her lips again, a pained look on her face. "I dunno. She just seems…sad."

Applebloom cocked her head. "Sad? Hmm..." She screwed up her face in thought.

"Yeah, sad. Like, just feeling kinda down about things..."

Applebloom thought back to all the times when she had been with Scootaloo over the past few weeks. While she hadn't noticed anything too obvious, she did have to admit that, now that Sweetie had brought it up, Scootaloo _had_ been seeming a bit odd lately. Her eyebrows furrowed downward.

"Yeah... now that you mention it, she sort of does seem like she's... not quite the same," she concurred. "Ah can't really put my hoof on it."

"Yeah, me neither. It's just one of those things, you know?" Sweetie said gloomily. "Then again, maybe I'm just imagining things again..."

Applebloom fiddled with the bow on her head, obviously at discomfort. "Nah... well, maybe. I don't know." She licked her lips. "Do you... do you think maybe we should talk to her? Just to make sure she's doing okay?"

Sweetie Belle considered her friend's proposal, and gave her a quick nod of her head. "Yeah... I think that would be a good idea. We don't have to make a big deal out of it; we can just ask her if she's been doing okay next time we see her. That's all," she reasoned.

Applebloom stopped playing with the bow on her head. She mulled it over, and came to the conclusion that their plan was a good one. "Alright. Sounds good to me."

The two of them lay there on the bed without saying a word for quite some time. That is, until Applebloom gestured to the page of notes lying on the covers between them. She grinned with mischief.

"So... how about we practice a little more on this stuff, and we can call it a day," she said. Sweetie Belle looked at the notes page, and cringed.

"Uhhh... I don't really w- ughh, fine," she caved. Applebloom giggled, and pointed to one of the numbers on the piece of looseleaf.

"Square root of 121?"

…

Scootaloo hung her helmet over one of the handlebars, propping her scooter against the tall oak tree. She always made sure to keep it partially hidden behind the tree's thick trunk and in view of her bedroom window, as if paranoid that a thief would come and steal it away as soon as she was out of sight.

The sun shone bright, but the trees kept most of the house in a perpetual shadow. She walked toward the front door with a cautious step, looking and listening as she approached. She clutched the doorknob between her brown and blue hooves and, as carefully and quietly as she could, cracked the door open. Her head poked inside.

She listened, hardly daring to breathe. After a minute went by without her hearing anything inside, she slid in through the crack and closed the door shut behind her. Again, she listened.

When she was satisfied nopony was home, she allowed herself to breathe again. With more confidence, she walked down the hall until she was in the kitchen.

A thin film of dust sat atop the wooden table at the center of the room. Behind it was the counter, which had also developed a layer of dust from the lack of use. Scootaloo walked past the table, heading straight for the refrigerator in the far left corner, grabbing the handle in her mouth and pulling it open.

She grinned. Beside the half-filled egg carton and gallon of milk, there were still three juice boxes left. She took one out and closed the door.

Minutes later, Scootaloo was sitting alone on the sofa in the next room, hunched over the coffee table with the straw of the juice box between her lips. She slurped the sweet nectar through the straw until the box formed an hourglass shape, and after extracting every last drop, she set it down on the coffee table atop a paper plate containing an uneaten jelly sandwich.

She wasted no time in snatching it up and wolfing it down until there was nothing but crumbs left on the plate and jelly-stains on her hooves. Her stomach rumbled below, but she ignored it.

Taking extra precautions not to touch the furniture, she grabbed the paper plate and walked back to the kitchen. After throwing it in the trash, she washed her hooves in the sink, making sure to clean away every last jelly stain before she went back to the living room to inspect it for any messes she could have made.

There was nothing. Feeling relieved, she left the room.

The hallway was dimly lit by a tarnished brass chandelier hanging overhead. One of the teardrop-shaped bulbs blinked rapidly, giving it the appearance of an actual flickering candle flame. Scootaloo walked underneath it, heading to the door at the end of the hall. When she got there, the filly opened the door and stepped inside.

Minimal light from the outside world came in through the cracks in her blinds. She would have opened them to let in some more of the sunshine, but the cord had been broken for quite some time. Leaving the lights off, Scootaloo shut the bedroom door and hopped onto her bed.

For quite some time, the filly lay there on her stomach, legs sprawled out over the cotton comforter. Now that a day or so had passed, the brown and blue lumps on her hide were starting to hurt less, and she was getting used to the sore, ache-y feeling when she laid down on top of them. She rested her cheek on the blanket, looking to the far wall on her left.

Knicks and craters littered the drywall. Scootaloo's eyes examined every bump and crack, every gash and bit of chipped paint. Some were indiscreet, anonymous, yet some others were not. Some were distinct; they held memories. And she remembered.

Not wanting to look anymore, Scootaloo rolled over onto her back to stare straight up at the ceiling. But just before she was about to close her eyes, out of her peripheral vision, something on the wall right beside her door captured her attention. She looked up with only her head, her chin pressed against the base of her neck.

It was a little calendar, the type that was small enough to stick in a saddlebag or shove comfortably into a desk drawer. A knob of sticky tack had been used to fasten it to the wall, leaving it slightly crooked but otherwise secure. On one of the days, a Friday, Scootaloo could make out words that had been written in red ink, in all capital letters:

"FIRST LESSON WITH RAINBOW DASH!"

The filly's pupils dilated. Right away, Scootaloo remembered her big sister's reminder from that morning. Her first ever flying lesson with Rainbow Dash was on Friday.

And today was Thursday. Tomorrow. Just one day.

Gradually, a smile found its way onto the pegasus filly's face. She closed her eyes with contentment, and her head sank into the pillow. Before she fell unconscious, only one thought was on her mind.

_Just one more day._

As she drifted off into much-needed sleep, her smile hadn't gone away.

**Author's Note:**

So, if you are shocked or confused as to why Sweetie Belle only has one leg... read Like Shattered Glass to find out what happened! *totally not attention whoring*

It's done. At last, it is done. It took me a crapload of time and all that jazz, but it's actually done in less than a month. Granted, this is probably the chapter I'm least satisfied with so far, and I feel like there's something wrong with it... even so, if things have been going like they have in the past, people will probably still tell me I'm doing great and everything, but if you think that you could help with improving something from the story, don't be afraid to let me know. Even if I have disagreements, I will never get mad or snap at you if you're making an effort to give me feedback. I promise. :)

The next chapter is not going to update any faster, unfortunately. At least, I don't think so. I don't know what inspired me to take on an independent research project with one of my professors ON TOP of all the other shit I'm doing, but... yeah. Don't expect a hasty update for the next chapter. Sorry.

Hope you enjoyed reading!

~Arwhale


	4. Home Early

One foot in front of the other. Two steps, breathe in. Two steps, breathe out. Go slow. Keep a rhythm. Don't stop moving forward. Don't stop…

Spike stopped. His body leaned off to the side, one hand placed on his knee and his other clutching his burning side. Breaths came out of his mouth in short, ragged gasps.

_You pansy._

This time was at least an improvement over the last. As much as he didn't like to admit it, Twilight had been right about starting out slow. He had nearly run for _ten_ minutes this time.

Other ponies walked on the road with him, and it took him a moment to realize he was being watched by passersby. Gritting his teeth together from the pain in his side, he straightened up and stood as straight as he could, sucking in a breath and holding it in a valiant effort to save face.

The splitting pain in his chest and belly were all it took for Spike to realize just how terrible an idea that was. Despite trying to look casual, the air in his lungs could not be contained. The air burst out of his chest in the form of a violent coughing fit, and he grunted in pain as the burning in his ribs intensified. After remaining in this state for he didn't know how long, he finally mustered the strength to try and stand up straight again.

Lyra was standing directly in front of him only a few meters away.

"Spike? I'm sorry, but… are you okay?"

The baby dragon's eyes widened. He had not forgotten the awkward encounter with her from the day before. He tried once again to save face.

"Okay? Oh yeah, I'm..." he had to pause to cough into his fist, hacking and wheezing like an old stallion. "…I'm fine. I'm just… going for a r…run… ugh…"

He pressed his side with his balled up fist, coughing some more. Lyra took another step closer, hesitant but nonetheless showing genuine worry.

"Are you sure? I could get you some water or—"

"No, nuh-uh," he interrupted. "I told you, I'm fine. I've got it… handled." He reaffirmed her. His coughing and grunts of pain, on the other hand, did not make a good case for him.

She titled her head and narrowed her eyes. A drop of sweat trickled from his armpits and down his side, and it wasn't from running.

"Erm… alright, then. I guess I'll see you… later?" she asked, stepping back.

"Uhh, yeah… I guess," he answered with red cheeks. Truth be told, he just relieved that she was going to leave him alone. She gave him what looked to be a forced smile and went on her way with a friendly wave of her hoof. Spike's sigh of relief blended in with the rest of his huffs and puffs of breath, and he resumed his exercise as soon as she was out of sight.

Or, at least tried to. He wasn't about to push himself so hard again. As soon as he began to feel winded, he exchanged his slow run for a calm, leisurely stroll. He felt his belly, pressing on the spot between his hard belly scales and his back. The flab still gave to his touch. He sulked.

_Same as yesterday,_ he mused. He wondered just how many days he was going to have to exercise to start seeing results. Perhaps Twilight had a spell that would help…

_Pansy,_ a voice inside his head reprimanded him. _Really? A spell? From Twilight, no less? Pretty lame, bro._

Spike rolled his eyes. He couldn't help but be upset with the nagging voice in his head, but he also knew that it didn't make what it was saying any less true. Which only upset him more.

At the very least, he could still make Twilight think that he was taking this whole exercising thing seriously by walking around town for a little while. Come to think of it, the sun was already getting lower in the sky, and he could probably get away with heading back right now…

_Paaaansyyy…_

No. If he was going to walk, he was going to at least walk for long enough to make it worthwhile.

He came from downtown and into the residential area. Everything was like a déjà vu of the day before; the same multi-level homes, the same flower and vegetable gardens, the same well-kept lawns which came alive with the chirping with crickets as evening approached.

The same fork in the road.

Before he could take one more step, he halted in his tracks. This was the place, same as yesterday. Wasn't it? He peered down the road off to the right, comparing what he was currently seeing with the image in his head from yesterday. Sure enough, they matched up perfectly.

He waited there at the intersection, feet pointing toward the right. He leaned forward once, twice, thrice, but his body stayed rooted to the cobblestone.

He couldn't even really remember a cry. All he could remember is that he remembered. And now that he was here again, he wanted to go back. He wanted to hear it again, to confirm whether or not he had heard anything at all…

The sun was halfway down across the western horizon, and the sky in the opposite corner dimmed to a shade of navy-blue. It was getting late.

Gradually, his feet pointed away from the road, and he took a step back. Then another. Then he turned around, walking away from the road and heading for home.

The nagging little voice uttered one more word in his head, but he ignored it.

_Pansy._

…

Three dull, metallic thwacks sounded from the front door. Sweetie Belle turned her head to the sound, smiling broadly.

"Hey, I think that's her!" she said in excitement. Apple Bloom looked confused.

"Who? I d—Ohhh…" The realization hit her, and she matched her friend's smile. Even from inside the bedroom, Sweetie's mother could be heard running from the kitchen and over the carpeted floor, as well as her sharp intake of breath once she was at the front. The door opened.

"There she is!" Sweetie's mother shouted excitedly. "Please, come in, come in!"

Sweetie heard the petite giggle made in reply, and her face beamed. Apple Bloom's closed her eyes and nodded her head, now assured who it was.

"Glad to be home, mother! Mwah!" An enthusiastic voice sounded in reply, lips audibly smacking against her mother's cheek. Sweetie Belle could no longer contain herself.

"Rarity! Is that you?" her voice cracked with excitement. She made a few clumsy motions to scoot herself around on the bed so that she was looking out her bedroom door. Another giggle.

"Of course it's me, you goose!" Rarity's cheery voice became louder as she approached Sweetie's room. "I _did_ say I was getting back Thursday, after all, and I assure you that I'm a mare of my word!"

Apple Bloom craned her neck forward, looking around the doorframe. A white unicorn emerged, tail and mane styled in their usual riccoco swirls and flank adorned with three baby-blue gems. There was no questioning who it was.

"Sweetie!" Rarity took a running step forward. Before either of the fillies knew it, she was already in the room, and Sweetie had been wrapped in a blue aura. Sweetie lurched forward with a small exclamation of surprise, carried off the bed by Rarity's magic and pulled into her sister's waiting forelegs. Rarity sat back onto the floor, hugging the little filly tight.

"How's my little sister doing?" asked Rarity, a goofy grin on her face. Sweetie wrapped her foreleg around Rarity's shoulders, squeezing her right back. She laughed.

"I'm fine… Apple Bloom's teaching me math." She nudged her head in the farm filly's direction. Apple Bloom blushed, waving her hoof at Rarity from her place on the bed. Rarity glanced over at her.

"Oh, hello, Apple Bloom!" she greeted. "I didn't even see you there, my goodness. And how are _you_? Are you staying for dinner?"

Apple Bloom shrugged, playing with the strap on her saddlebag. "Ah'm good… and Applejack said I was allowed to stay out till 8 o'clock, so if y'all don't mind me stayin'…"

Rarity blew a raspberry. "Mind? Oh, goodness, why would we mind? You're more than welcome to stay, dear. And how's the math coming along?" she asked the two of them with a mixture of a grin and a grimace. She knew that was Sweetie's least favorite subject.

"It's good, I guess… Apple Bloom's really good at math," Sweetie complimented. The pinkish tinge on Apple Bloom's cheeks turned darker, and Rarity took notice.

"Oh, don't look so bashful, sweetheart," she teased. "Applejack's told me all about how you help out with the finances during Cider Season. My parents I am sure appreciate you helping my sister with her studies." She looked behind her at her mother, who was standing a little ways back from the door, out of Apple Bloom's view. The elder mare retreated back into the kitchen, simpering and wiping a tear away from her eyes. "As do I."

Apple Bloom nodded, adjusting the pink bow on her head. Any attempts she made to look less bashful were met with failure. "Aw, nah, it's no big deal. Ah like doin' it. Besides, it's kinda fun, actually…"

Rarity gave Sweetie Belle a little nuzzle, which the filly welcomed with closed eyes. "No, it is a big deal. Don't doubt that, please. You and Scootaloo are great friends. Right, Sweetie?" She slowly lifted Sweetie Belle up and placed her carefully onto the bed.

"Oh yeah. They're the _bestest_ friends," Sweetie agreed emphatically. Rarity chuckled, but just then, her face registered sudden apprehension. She looked all around the room, craning her neck to search the other side of the bed. "And speaking of Scootaloo… where is she now? I don't see her…"

The two of them shot each other uneasy looks. Sweetie Belle seemed to silently communicate to Apple Bloom by quickly raising her eyebrows, and Apple Bloom took the message. She answered Rarity, saying, "Scoots is sick today, so she's at home resting."

Rarity pouted. "Oh, really? The poor dear. I hope she feels better soon…"

Sweetie Belle laughed nervously. "Heheh, yeah… we do, too…"

Observant as she was, Rarity appeared keen to Sweetie's nervous air. She gave her a perplexed frown, and when Sweetie noticed, she hastily changed the subject.

"So, sis… how'd the thing go at Manehattan?" she inquired. Her older sister's frown disappeared almost as quickly as it had arrived.

"Oh, the exhibition?" Rarity twiddled her front hooves, appearing as if she was keeping a surge of energy from bubbling up to the surface. "It went… well. Very well. My designs were quite the hit, I must say…" This time, it was her turn to change the subject. "…but I'll got into detail later at dinner."

The corners of Rarity's lips twitched, and it was evident that she was trying to stop herself from smiling. This puzzled Sweetie Belle, but she kept her observations to a mental note.

All of a sudden, the heavenly aroma of baked pastries and melted butter filled the room. The three of them inhaled almost simultaneously, and Apple Bloom's mouth watered. The smile Rarity had been trying so hard to stifle came out with a vengeance.

"Is that… Is mother making turnip n' tater n' beetroot pie?" Rarity posited the question to her little sister, the name of the dish rolling off her tongue as though she had said it thousands of times before. Sweetie tittered with excitement, and her slow nod affirmed Rarity's suspicions.

"Mom said she wanted to make something special since you were coming back, so…"

Rarity cut her sister off with a delighted squeak, and she began to hop up and down. "Really? Oh my goodness, yes! Yes!"

The sight of Rarity, the pony pinnacle of sophistication, acting like an excited filly made Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom laugh. Though truth be told, Apple Bloom just about had the same reaction. She remembered the first time Sweetie's mother invited her and Scootaloo to stay over for dinner. The thought of turnips, potatoes, and beetroot all together in one pie did not sound pleasant, and she and Scootaloo had only accepted their offer to avoid seeming rude. Oh, how wrong she had been.

"Alright, dearies! I think it's just about ready," Sweetie's mother called from the kitchen, as if on cue. None of them had to be told twice. Not a word was spoken as Apple Bloom slid the page of math notes and saddlebag to the side and hopped off the bed. Rarity turned herself around and her horn glowed blue, lifting Sweetie onto her back and placing her there gingerly.

"Here, I'll take you, sis," said Rarity. "Hold on."

"Thanks…" Sweetie Belle laid as flat she could, gripping around Rarity's neck with her foreleg, and the two of them followed Apple Bloom to the kitchen.

…

The pie was enormous, but already half of it was gone. For a few minutes at the beginning of dinner they had all been too busy eating to talk to one another, and in that amount of time everyone had eaten enough to go for seconds. At last, the first one to break the silence was Sweetie's mother.

"Nopony's talking. I guess that means everyone hates it," she said with a coy smirk. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had to cover their mouths with their hooves to stop themselves from laughing and letting the scrumptious food fall out on their plates. Rarity, on the other hand, was taken aback.

"Hate it? _Hate_ it? Why, I'd never… oh." She trailed off, realizing the smirk on her mother's face. She scowled. "Mother… you know that sarcasm has never been my strong suit."

Her mother laughed warmly. "Oh, I know, I know. That's why it's so much fun to use it around you."

Rarity's scowl deepened, but she said nothing. Sweetie Belle was overcome with a fit of giggles.

Her mother decided it would be best to bring the subject of conversation to something else. She asked her eldest daughter, "So… how was the show in Manehattan? Did you get a lot of attention for your fancy dresses?"

Rarity could have resumed her playful disdain for her mother, but the news was too good for her to care. The frown lines on her brow disappeared, and she conceded with a roll of her eyes.

"It was an _exhibition_, not a show," she clarified with a huff of breath. "But I suppose that doesn't matter. As for attention… YES." She nearly shouted the last word, showing her pearly white teeth to everyone present at the table. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were startled by the outburst, and they stopped eating their food mid-chew. Her mother was also surprised, but she recovered quickly.

"Whoa. Sounds like it went well. Any big shots?" she asked her daughter. Rarity scoffed, wiping her mouth after taking another bite of her second piece of pie.

"Hoh, any big shots? Try every big shot in Manehattan, mother. Martingale Galloway, Jennet Jewel… It was a goldmine. Literally."

"Tho you goth a loth of money?" Sweetie asked with her mouth full. Her mother fixed her with a disapproving glare.

"Don't talk when you have food in your mouth, Sweetie Belle," she chided. Sweetie swallowed her food, wiping her mouth with her hoof.

"Sorry," she apologized. Rarity continued her story, taking a small bite of the pie on her plate before addressing her answer to Sweetie Belle.

"Mmm. Mmhm. Yes, I suppose I did make a large sum of profit," she said simply, but dodged around the question without saying anything more. "I also got a lot of requests for future designs, too, from lots of different ponies. They were quite happy with the way everything looked, to say the least. It was worth all the time it took to make the new dresses, that's for sure." she concluded. Her mother nodded her head in approval.

"That's fantastic, Rarity. Very happy to hear things went so well." She turned to focus her attention on Apple Bloom. "And what about you, dear? You've hardly said a peep all night."

The yellow filly pressed her hoof onto the crumbs, lifting them off of the porcelain surface and putting them into her mouth. "Ah'm fine. Just a little tired, is all. Thanks so much for the pie. It was really great," she said graciously.

"Do you want any more? There's still almost half of it left," she offered. Apple Bloom shook her head.

"No, that's okay. Ah'm pretty stuffed." She leaned back in her chair, rubbing the tiny bulge on her belly. Sweetie's mother grinned.

"Oh, well, that's fine. It's a shame Scootaloo isn't here tonight, though. She probably would've eaten the whole other half all by herself." She chuckled. "Oh well. Leftovers are still good."

Apple Bloom chuckled with her. After all, the exaggeration was only slight. Scootaloo always seemed to have the appetite of a full-grown stallion when she ate dinner here. Thinking about the empty seat beside her, sadness seemed to replace the feeling of food in her stomach.

"So, when is father planning on getting back?" asked Rarity to her mother.

"He's been away on business for a little over a week at Baltimare, but he should be back on Saturday morning," she answered. "He's been getting a lot of letters taking him away on jobs lately. It's been a little lonely around here, but it's been worse before. Nothing we can do about it."

Everypony watched as she scooted back in her chair, getting onto her hooves and walking over to the refrigerator. "So, does anypony have room for some blueberry cobbler? I made it just this afternoon."

Apple Bloom was about to say yes, but her eyes traveled to the clock hanging on the wall just above the stove, and she gasped. It read ten past seven o'clock.

"Ah'd love to, but…" Apple Bloom got up from her seat as well, pointing to the clock. "Applejack said Ah had to be home by eight, an' it takes a little while to get back, so…"

Sweetie's mother looked up the clock, and sighed sadly. "Are you sure? I'd hate for you to miss out. I tried a new recipe I got from the Cakes, and I think it's going to be great," she persisted.

Apple Bloom saw the cobbler, and her mouth watered all over again. Purple blueberries glistening with caramelized sugar, a toasted, golden brown layer of crust over the top…

She looked back up at the clock, then back to the cobbler. Then back up at the clock, then back to the cobbler.

She could run home.

…

The last reddish tinge of sunlight peeping over the horizon faded to black by the time he made it to the library. His feet ached and his side still hurt, but he felt like he had accomplished something. Even the nagging voice in his head had finally managed to shut up.

His fingers clasped around the long black doorknob and he swung the door open, stumbling in on a pair of shaky legs.

"Hey, Twilight. I'm back," he shouted upstairs. The door naturally fell shut behind him. Twilight called back down to him, he presumed from her usual place at her desk.

"Oh, hey, Spike! How's the run?"

Spike clasped his fingers together and stretched his arms up to the high ceiling, standing on tiptoe with his palms facing outward. His knuckles popped loud enough to echo around the room. "It was good. I started out slow this time, so I ran longer."

"That's great, Spike!" He heard the legs of her desk chair slide over the floor, and she walked downstairs to meet him. "I told you that would… heeey, wait a second. Didn't you say you did that yesterday, too? What do you mean, 'this time?'"

Spike heard her immediate change in tone, and no sooner had she asked the question that he realized his mistake. His eyes turned into saucers as she made eye contact with him coming down the stairs.

"Uhhh, uh… I'm…" he struggled to make coherent speech. Twilight's disapproval was written on her face, and she shook her head with a sigh.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," she said. "I had a feeling that it didn't go so well last time…"

Spike wanted to kick himself, but his bulging belly would have gotten in the way. He gave the smile of someone who knew they had been caught red-handed.

"Heheh, yeah… sorry," he apologized, folding his hands behind his back and standing still in the center of the room.

Twilight glowered at him, but didn't say anything more on the matter. She floated a scroll over to him.

"Nevermind all of that. I need you to send a letter for me." She hovered the scroll in front of his hand. He brought his hands out from behind his back and grabbed it out of the purple aura.

"Uhh, okay," he cleared his throat, getting ready to douse the scroll in a tongue of green flame. "Where to?"

"Oh, just to Celestia," she stated simply. Spike shrugged.

"Okay. Gimme just a sec…" he inhaled, and from the depths of his belly, belched out a cloud of green flame, enveloping the scroll and evaporating it into thin air. He coughed out a couple tendrils of smoke, and his arms fell back to his sides. "What was the letter for?"

Twilight didn't answer him right away. She licked her lips, appearing hesitant.

"I dunno if I should tell you… can you promise to keep a secret? Pinkie Promise?" she asked. Hearing the word "secret," Spike was immediately intrigued.

"Yeah, yeah, sure," he agreed to her conditions. In a practiced motion that he had repeated more than once before, he drew an X over his heart and slapped his closed eye with his hand.

Despite being the only other one in the room, she looked to her left and right to make sure no one else could overhear their conversation, and then leaned in closer. She motioned with her hoof for him to come closer, and he did so, stepping forward so that her mouth was beside the hole that served as his ear. She cupped her hoof around her mouth and whispered into it. Spike's eyes widened.

"Oh, seriously? Whoa, that's… crazy…" he did not know what else to say.

"Don't tell _anypony,_ Spike. You Pinkie Promised," she tapped his belly with her hoof to drive home the point. He nodded wordlessly, and she smiled.

"Good." Her horn glowed again, and a scroll poofed into existence in the middle of the air, falling to the floor and unrolling all the way across the room, the bottom edge of the paper coming to rest near the front door. Spike's jaw dropped.

"And now that that's taken care of, we have a few things that need to get done around here before the weekend's over. I think the first thing we need to do is…"

Spike groaned.

…

By the time the sun came back up, Scootaloo's body had hardly moved an inch. But from underneath closed eyelids, her eyeballs rolled around in their sockets, jerking from left to right, up and down and back to the center again. The corner of her lip twitched, and her hind leg followed suit, kicking out against an invisible assailant. She breathed more shallowly, and her ribcage rose and fell in an erratic lack of rhythm.

With a quiet gasp, her eyes snapped open.

Lines of sunlight bled through the cracks in her blinds. They came to rest on her face, and when she turned her head, one of them formed a golden stripe across one of her eyes. Her purple-dotted hoof went up to block the light out of reflex before she went to look at the clock on her bedside table.

It read 6:45. School started at 7 o'clock.

Without any other impetus, she tossed herself out of bed, landing on her hooves and wincing slightly as the marks The blood rushed to her head from getting up so suddenly, and her vision momentarily blacked out. She pressed a hoof to her temple, waiting for her vision to return. When it did at last, she bolted out her bedroom door, zoomed down the hall and raced out the front door, leaving behind a small dust cloud as she slammed the door shut behind her.

…

Both her elbows were propped up on her desk as she stared at the strange symbols on the paper in front of her. She knew that the class had gone over the material yesterday, but the strange blend of small and large numbers, with the occasional squiggly line adding insult to injury, confused her to no end. Her eyes rolled back into her head, and she grunted in frustration. She had forgotten there would be a quiz today.

Her eyes wandered all around until she spotted Miss Cheerilee on the other side of the classroom, walking along the far wall. The mare took the occasional glance in her direction, but her focus never remained in one place. Scootaloo's eyes shifted from her paper and over to the teacher several times, watching her closely and trying her best to be discreet to avoid raising any suspicions.

She waited until Miss Cheerilee's head was turned away before her eyes darted over to Apple Bloom's desk. Unfortunately for her, there was a whole row in between her and her friend, and it was impossible for her to make out the scribbles on the filly's paper unless she leaned out of her chair to get a closer look, which was basically an automatic detention. The colt sitting right beside her appeared to be in the same boat, his pencil held in his mouth, but only a few things written on the page.

Her last rays of hope for a decent grade disappearing, she sighed inwardly, picking up the pencil in her mouth and writing random numbers in the spaces with the faint hope that she would get at least a couple of them right. Once she was done, she slumped in her seat and stared at the quiz on her desk, sure that it was going to come back to her with a red letter 'F' in the top left-hand corner the following week.

She looked up at the clock above the blackboard. It was almost half past two; only five minutes left of class. She resisted the urge to smash her face into the desk.

But that was when she reminded herself; today was Friday, which meant her first flight lesson with Rainbow Dash was today. Which meant that she was only five minutes away from freedom.

No quiz on earth could have dampened her spirits now. She had to press her back against the chair to keep her wings from buzzing and propelling her out of the desk.

Her gaze remained fixed on the second hand on the clock, and she hardly dared to blink, watching it make its way around the circle over and over again. The minute hand inched closer to the six with each tick until it nearly split the number in half. She listened for the bell…

_Rrrrring!_

"Okay, class, it's time to turn in your quizzes to the front. Finish up the problem you are still…"

Scootaloo slapped the paper down on the front desk before Miss Cheerilee could even finish her sentence and zipped out the door, the rush of air generated from her passing blowing some of the quizzes from the front row of desks onto the floor. Apple Bloom cocked her head, and Cheerilee reared her head back in shock.

"Scootaloo! Wait!" She shouted after her, running to the door. By the time she got there, Scootaloo's helmet had been donned, her scooter mounted, and she was halfway down the road. She leapt down the steps and galloped after her student.

"Wait! I want to talk to you, Scootaloo!" She made it halfway across the schoolyard before she came to a stop. There was no way for her to catch up; once she got going, Scootaloo was . She sat her haunches down on the dirt, watching her student disappear down the road.

"Damn it…" The swear word slipped out, causing her to slap a hoof over her mouth. She whirled around to see if any of her students had heard her. A few of her students were congregated in the doorway, watching her.

"Did any of you… hear that?" she asked them timidly. Their wary eyes showcased their confusion and uncertainty, but none of them showed any signs that they had heard her curse. For a moment, Miss Cheerilee felt as though she had dodged a bullet. But it was only momentary.

She walked back into the classroom to see that none of the other fillies and colts had gotten up from their seats. They glued their eyes on her as she re-entered the room. She sighed, shaking her head.

"I'm sorry about that, my little ponies…" she said in earnest. "You're free to go. Just place your quizzes onto my desk before you leave. And have a great weekend!"

As the students filed out of the room, Cheerilee tapped Apple Bloom on the shoulder after she turned in her quiz. The filly turned around.

"Yes, Miss Cheerilee?"

"Apple Bloom, my dear…" She pulled the filly to the side, letting the other student go past. "Do you know where Scootaloo went? Or why she was in such a hurry to leave, for that matter?"

Apple Bloom looked up and to the right, thinking for a second before she answered, "Uhh… Ah think she said that she was meeting up with Rainbow Dash after class on Friday, which is today, so…"

"Rainbow Dash? And do you know where she said they would meet up?" Cheerilee's question was interrogative, anxiously demanding an answer. Apple Bloom was a little taken aback.

"Umm… Ah dunno. She never told me," she replied truthfully. Miss Cheerilee's cheeks puffed up, and she let out a deep breath of frustration.

"Alright. That's all I wanted to ask. Thank you for your help, Apple Bloom." She sent her off with a gentle nudge. Apple Bloom waved goodbye just as Cheerilee said, "And if you see her, tell her that Miss Cheerilee wants to talk with her for a minute, and that she's not in trouble. Okay?"

Apple Bloom nodded slowly, raising her eyebrows in puzzlement. "Umm, okay… Ah'll let her know next time Ah see her…"

"Good," said Miss Cheerilee. "Thank you so much, Apple Bloom. Have a great weekend!"

"Th-thanks. You, too." Apple Bloom gave her final farewell, leaving Miss Cheerilee there all alone in the room.

No sooner had Apple Bloom stepped out of sight that she walked over to the stack of quizzes and snatched it up, removing the bottom one from the pile. She looked over the answers on the sheet of paper, and her eyes widened.

Not a single answer was right.

She dropped the quiz sheet onto her desk and walked out, looking like a mare on a mission.

…

The bookmark Rainbow Dash placed was past the book's halfway point, but she still had a long way to go. She was a pretty new reader, and despite being enthralled with the story, it was still slow going.

She didn't know exactly what time she had fallen asleep, but when her eyes finally opened back up, the clock in front of her read five past eleven. Rainbow Dash moaned; she hated waking up this late in the day.

The pegasus stretched out her legs, folding her forehooves together and reaching back until they touched the headboard. She kicked the covers off of her and onto the floor and did the same stretch with her hind legs, and her mouth gaped in a sleepy yawn.

Rolling out of bed, she landed on all fours on the carpeted floor. She unfurled her wings like sails and flexed them to get the circulation back into her feathers before she went out to the kitchen.

Three bowls of cereal was usually her average, but today she was already on her fourth, tilting the bowl and practically shoveling the cereal into her mouth. She had forgotten to eat dinner the night before because she had been too busy reading. She picked up the bowl and drank the milk before lightly tossing it into the sink with all of the other unwashed dishes. The sight of the steadily rising pile of plates and bowls made her grimace, but she shrugged it off. She could wash them tomorrow. Or the day after that.

She had to admit that she was very glad she'd decided to take off weather-duty today, because if she hadn't, she would not have gotten any sleep at all. Nonetheless, her eyes were still crusty, and her frequent yawns showed her that her body's desire for sleep had not yet been satisfied. She looked up at the mini pendulum clock hanging on her wall.

Eleven thirty. Plenty of time. She sat down on the floor and preened her wings before she flew out the front door to do her daily exercise routine.

…

Scootaloo blazed down the road, her tiny wings propelling her all the way to the park. When she made it there, the pegasus filly found a tall tree and propped her scooter up against it, hanging the helmet on her handlebars.

She knew for a fact that she was plenty early, but she still wished that Rainbow Dash was here right this instant. Her wings fluttered like a hummingbird's as she waited beside the tree, pacing back and forth over the grass. The anticipation was killing her, but it was a good feeling. All her life it seemed for the past three years, she's been dreaming for this opportunity to learn from the very best, and now it was fifteen minutes away.

Regardless of her excitement, she recognized that she need to relax for now. She was going to need to save her energy for the flight lesson, after all. She sat her jittery body next to the tree, waiting as patiently with her eyes aimed toward the sky.

…

The hour hand was inching past the one when Rainbow Dash made it back. Her forehead was shiny with sweat, and she decided to get a quick shower. When she emerged from the bathroom, it was past one thirty. Plenty of time.

She wracked her brain for something to do until it was time to leave. As she sauntered down the hallway, she passed her room, and an object on the floor next to her bed caught her eye.

It was her Daring Do book. Right away, Rainbow Dash felt newfound excitement bubbling inside her chest. There was still half the book left to read, and she had fallen asleep before she could finish the chapter…

She had plenty of time to read some more before she went on her way. Plenty of time. She zipped into her room and snatched the book up from the floor, laying down on her back on the comforter and flipping to the bookmarked page.

The clock ticked away. Her eyes droned lazily over the words, delving back into the story. She flipped the page. Then another. The clock kept ticking, turning into soothing white noise in her ear.

Her eyelids flickered. Her head began to fall back onto the pillow, but she sensed it before the point of no return and jerked it back up. Giving her head a rough shake, she continued reading.

Another flicker, and her grasp on the book loosened. Once more, she sensed herself falling asleep before it was too late and shook herself back into alertness. However, it was only five minutes later that she began to fall right back into the same predicament, but again she sensed it in time. She shuffled over the comforter, sitting up against the headboard to make it more difficult to fall asleep. Confident that she wouldn't have this problem again, she let nothing stand in her way of reading the book in her hooves.

The book lay flat on her lap, and she snored gently with her head rested against the wall. It was half-past two.

And the clock kept tick, tick, ticking away.

…

At the park, there was no ticking. Only the chatter of a cicada, the occasional bark of somepony's dog playing fetch in a nearby field, or the chatter of two ponies having conversation as they passed her by.

She picked at a little stone that was firmly planted into the ground, scraping away the dirt around its base. Several minutes went by before she finally dislodged it, leaving behind a crater in the ground where it had been. Underneath, a tiny earthworm wriggled in the dirt, and she watched it slowly burrow its way back into the dirt.

Rainbow Dash was late all the time, she told herself. She probably just had something to do and was running late or something…

Twenty more minutes. The pony playing fetch with the dog had already left, and the old mare whom had been feeding birds from the park bench down one of the cobblestone paths was long gone as well. She gulped, eyes turning glossy as they filled with water. She never stopped looking at the sky.

This couldn't be right. She really hadn't been waiting _that_ long, had she? Maybe time was just going by slowly because she was so anxious…

From downtown, the clocktower bell tolled.

_Bong. Bong. Bong. Bonggg…_

Scootaloo sat totally motionless against the tree. Four tolls. Four o'clock. And Rainbow Dash was nowhere to be found.

Her eyes closed softly, and the tears spilled down her cheeks. She wiped them away, trying to maintain her tough façade, but the next breath she took was a shuddering sob. She choked it back, wiping away the wet streaks from her cheeks.

Slinking over to her scooter, she shot the sky one last glance, one last ray of hope gleaming in her bleary eyes.

But there wasn't a pegasus in sight.

…

The sun's descent brought its light to the window of Rainbow Dash's cloud home, eventually coming to rest on the pegasus' face. The light permeated through her closed eyelids, and she gave a semi-conscious groan, instinctively rolling over onto her side to escape the sun's rays. The book on her lap, however, fell off the bed and landed on the floor with a sharp thud. She jolted awake.

Her body faced the clock on her bedside table. When she looked at it, it took a moment for her to register the time that it read. When she did, she gasped.

Four thirty. Her lesson with Scoot was supposed to have started over an hour ago.

"Oh no," she exclaimed, sitting up in the bed and staring at the clock. "Oh _no…_"

She leapt out of bed, spreading her wings and taking flight through her own house. "NO! Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh…"

She crashed through her front door and plummeted downward from her cloud home in the sky, turning into a rainbow blur and heading for the park. At her speed, it did not take long until she was there.

Flying overhead, she scanned the ground for her surrogate sister, looking for her scooter, her orange coat, her helmet, anything. Any signs that she was miraculously still there.

She was nowhere to be found.

…

Outside, the scooter sat on the brown grass in Scootaloo's front yard, lying on its side on the other side of the tree it was usually propped up against.

Years of dreaming, waiting, wishing and hoping. All lies. Rainbow Dash, the pony she had looked up to as long as she could remember… was a liar.

Inside, Scootaloo sobbed quietly on the living room couch, face buried in her hooves. Tears ran down her forelegs and dampened the sofa cushions below.

She didn't want to believe it, but there was no way she could deny it. Rainbow Dash had abandoned her. Forgotten her. Betrayed her.

_Lied_ to her.

Her sobs suddenly ceased. She looked up from the tear-stained sofa cushions, staring past the far wall and off into space. Both her hooves fell to the sofa, and the cool tears turned into burning streaks of flame down her cheek as they continued to fall. She bared her teeth like an enraged beast, and a low, guttural growl rumbled in her throat.

She jumped up from the couch, turned around, and threw a vicious punch at the sofa cushions. It impacted squarely, but only a soft thud sounded from the strike. This only served to anger her more, and she began to wail away at the pillows, hitting them again and again. She swung as hard as she could, screaming at the top of her lungs.

Minutes passed, and she stumbled back away from the couch, bumping into the coffee table and gasping for air. The sofa sat stock still, as if mocking her efforts, her inability to leave a dent. Her weakness.

More angry than ever before, she roared once again, charging back at the couch. All of her fury became focused on the rightmost pillow, and she grabbed a hold of it with her teeth. A sharp tug yanked the cushion off, and with one last, fell shriek, she hurled it over her shoulder as hard as she could.

Time almost seemed to come to a standstill as it flew through the air…

…and crashed straight into the lamp on the other side of the room.

Scootaloo heard the sound of smashing ceramic on the other side of the room. Her head shot up, and the filly's reddened face, contorted with rage only moments ago, softened in that instant. She whimpered.

"Oh… oh no... oh my gosh, noo…"

She darted around the table, surveying the damage. The sight made her blood thin out into ice in her veins.

The little lamp lay shattered on the ground, broken into several pieces. The ceramic appeared to be painted by hoof, small flowery designs and intricacies in an array of different colors decorating the smooth, delicate surface. And now, it was ruined forever.

Anger morphed into fear, and her little legs began to shake uncontrollably. "Nooo… no no no…"

Just then, something that could have come out of her very worst nightmares; she heard the front door open.

"Scootaloo, damn it, where 're ya?" A slurred voice hollered from the front. The stallion's voice was unmistakable; the anger it always seemed to carry was all Scootaloo needed to know it was him.

Heavy footsteps entered her house, and the door closed once more, sealing her in. The little filly was paralyzed by fear, rooted to the spot as the stallion came closer and closer to the living room…

A large stallion, around Big Macintosh's height and carrying a set of wings on his back, merged into the room. He wore a mail delivery uniform, but right off the bat, Scootaloo could detect the smell of alcohol on his clothes and breath.

Her father.

"I almost tripped cuz of your damned scooter bein' in in the way…"

Her throat ran dry as he scanned the room mid-speech, his bloodshot eyes eventually coming to rest on her, standing next to the remains of the shattered lamp. Whatever he had been saying, he stopped immediately.

"Y-you… you s-s-said you'd be back Monday…" she stammered. It was all her terrified brain could think to say as she sidestepped behind the table, putting the barrier between herself and her father.

Her father's face was blank for a moment, but the skin on his cheeks was turning redder with every passing second. "You… broke it. You broke the…"

He trailed off. Without warning, his face twisted up in anger. Scootaloo squeaked in fear, taking two steps back from the table until her body was pressed up against the wall.

"I… I didn't mean to, dad… I-I'm s-s-sorr-"

"You broke it!" He wasn't listening. He lurched forward, making a move to walk around the table toward her. She retreated back to the opposite corner, eyeing him like a cornered beast.

"D-dad, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to, please…" she begged, curling into a ball and covering her head with her hooves. "I w-was just…"

"You think cuz she's not here, you can do any damn thing ya want? Huh?" He yelled irrationally, marching toward her with a drunken gait. "You already did enough to take her away from me!"

Scootaloo's eyes darted from side to side, trying to find a way to escape. There was nothing. She squeaked, clenching her eyes shut as he loomed over her, choking on sobs as they stuck to the insides of her throat.

"You little _shit!_"

The walls of the house muffled her screams.

**Author's Note: I might edit this to make it better sometime later. For now, here you all go.**


End file.
